In this Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower tale, narrator Anika Dragomir is the third most popular girl at Pound High School. But inside, she knows she's a freak; she can't stop thinking about former loner Logan McDonough, who showed up on the first day of tenth grade hotter, bolder, and more mysterious than ever. Logan is fascinating, troubled and off-limits. The Pound High queen bee will make Anika's life hell if she's seen with him. So Anika must choose—ignore her feelings and keep her social status? Or follow her heart and risk becoming a pariah. Which will she pick? And what will she think of her choice when an unimaginable tragedy strikes, changing her forever? An absolutely original new voice in YA in a story that will start important conversations—and tear at your heart.

My Thoughts:

What do you do if your best friend is the most popular girl in school, but only got that way because she is controlling and the biggest bully? Knowing that if you ever cross her or provide a differing opinion you will be outcast and become bullied and tormented by Becky.

“If you’re wondering what I was doing standing right there next to Becky, aka the dark force, it’s because I am number three in the pecking order around here. I have no hope for rising above my station and I will explain why later. But number three is where I will always be and, as I am constantly reminded, I am lucky to be here.”

Anika knows that Becky’s bullying is wrong and slowly develops the courage to face that truth. At first she finds ways to surreptitiously defeat Becky’s bullying attempts on her fellow students but soon she must face her head on. When two boys from opposite ends of the popularity scale like her, she faces a no win scenario. Becky would never allow her to see Logan who is beneath their social status and she would never allow her to see Jared, who she likes herself.

“It’s not lost on me that the only two guys in the universe who seem to somehow; maybe, like me are both completely off-limits for entirely different reasons. What a bizarre world, isn’t it? Logan is off-limits because he’s a social pariah that could completely ruin me if anyone knew about our moped rides and late-night sneak-outs. Jared Kline is the biggest stone-cold fox in the city, possibly even the state, and if Becky knew the things he was saying in the hoity-toity library, she would hand me to the wolves covered in butter.”

Anika’s snarky attitude and remarks made me laugh out loud and I wish I had her courage when I was in high school. I really identified with her because of my experiences in high school. This was an amazing book about learning how to stand up for yourself and others around you. Anika developed the courage to believe in herself and that it’s not important what others think. This book made me both laugh and cry. No spoilers, but I did not see the ending coming and was beyond sad.